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Rebuilding Iraq

Aired August 13, 2003 - 13:52   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Within the commitment to track down Saddam Hussein, there's another mission U.S. soldiers have their sights on, rebuilding Iraq and making sure every child has the freedom and opportunity to be educated. Every day, since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, members of the U.S. army's 101st Airborne Division have been picking up their hammers and paintbrushes, building schools and medical clinics for Iraqi children and their families. Today, we bring you the exclusive picture from these dedicated Rangers.
Joining us by phone is Major Fred Wellman, who has been deeply involved with the civil affairs project from the very beginning.

Major, it's great to have you with us.

MAJ. FRED WELLMAN, 101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION: It's great to be here, Kyra. Thank you very much for having me.

PHILLIPS: As we start to look at the pictures, I want you to tell me about the civil affairs mission, how it's been going, the purpose behind it and just the bonding that's taken place between all of you and these kids.

WELLMAN: It's been a fascinating experience. I think if you has told me six months ago at this time I'd be sitting in Iraq, spending as much time as I have sitting with Iraqi people, with the farmers, the children, and getting as close as we have to all of them, I think would have told you you're full of it. But we discovered a surprise here, and we've been doing it here in my area for about three months now. We were approached by one of the local shaikhs in the village near our base when we first occupied it, and we developed a very close relation with a man named Dr. Mohammed (ph), who's the shaikh of the village.

And through him, we have been fortunate to meet -- we've actually visited 35 different villages, and we've worked with all those folk.

Right now, our unit is sponsoring and building 13 schools. We've built and finished one clinic and renovated another, and we're in the process repairing over 38 kilometers of roads in the area. So we've been fairly busy up here.

PHILLIPS: Fred, you know, on a daily basis. I even receive e- mails from -- even random e-mails from different soldiers, Marines, sailors, saying, hey, why aren't you covering what you're doing? And that's why I wanted to bring these picture to air and talk to you specifically, because you've been telling me for such a long time about these school. Do you think this is why you and your fellow soldiers have not been attacked because of what you're doing in the area?

WELLMAN: I think -- I firmly believe that what we're doing is building -- it's about building relationships. Our commander has said early on is what we need to do is build a bond with the people we're living with, and that's what we're doing. We're not approaching as an occupying army, we're approaching it as good neighbors, and the people around our base are our neighbors. By approaching with that kind of friendship, an attitude of a mutual relationship, because it is a mutual, supportive relationship, by being friendly with them, it prevents our base from being attacked. They have a mutual interest in our safety, as well as we have a mutual interest in theirs. I think we have a very quiet area. It's about relationships. I feel very gratified my chain of command has recognized that from the day we arrived.

PHILLIPS: Well, tell me about the first day when these schools were up and running, how did the kids react when they saw the desk, when they saw the chair? What did they say to you?

WELLMAN: It's fascinating, because most of the villages we're building the schools in have never had schools. For the most part, if a child wanted to go to school from these farming villages, they had to either go live with relatives in the city to get that opportunity.

So the shaikhs and the leaders of this village see this as the opportunity, the future for their village. And so it's fascinating. When we deliver -- once the school's built -- incidentally, we're using local Iraqi contractors as a method to inject finance into the local Iraqi economy. We don't build it ourselves, we have locals do it, and we pay for it, and it works out very well. So we show up with the desk, all the supplies, and they don't let us carry it. You'll see in the pictures very few soldiers carrying desks. I didn't send you one picture, a man wrestling a desk out of my hand, because the kids are doing it. You'll see pictures of 10-year-old children carrying these desks, and they're just so excited. It's an opportunity they never dreamed of.

I recently talked with Dr. Mohammed, as we sat on the steps of his clinic that we just opened tow days ago, and I said, I was telling him how the tent he rented was so nice and my wife and I are going to rent one when we get back. I love to throw a good party, and I said, you know what, you'll have to come. He said, I'll be there. I said, you will? He said, Fred, three months ago, I never would have beloved I'd be sitting on the steps of my clinic. I believe that in three months, I'll be sitting at your house, enjoying your party. I said, that's a good perspective. Anything's possible right now here in Iraq. But the children themselves -- go ahead, I'm sorry.

PHILLIPS: No, go ahead, go ahead.

WELLMAN: Well, the children in one village especially are trying to learn English because they can talk to me, because I speak bad English and English, and that's the only two languages that I speak, and They have gone to great lengths to learn English. And as we were leaving about two weeks ago, a little boy, probably about 8, ran up to my vehicle when I was getting strapped, and he said, Major Wellman, Major Wellman, I love you. And, you know, and I'm a big softy. I got four kids at home. And I just got out of that truck and gave that little boy a hug, because he -- it meant a lot. It meant a lot.

PHILLIPS: Well, you know, Fred, we hear about -- we just hear the criticism so much about how this war should have never happened, and, you know, all of us get so frustrated, hearing how soldiers are dying every day, but then we hear stories like this from you, and we realize that this mission is really having, I guess, some really wonderful experiences, for you and for the Iraqi people.

WELLMAN: Well I saw -- I heard a great chant the other day that the Marines like to use. I had to steal it from them. I'm a son of a former Marine. My father, Jerry (ph) Wellman, is a former Marine. And the Marines love to say that as Americans and Marines, we can be your best friends or your worst enemies. And I think most people realize that it's a better thing to be our best friends. And so the Americans will wrap their arms around you and do everything they can for you once we all recognize it's a mutually beneficial relationship, and I think that's what we have here.

PHILLIPS: Major Fred Wellman. You look at these picture, you listen to you, and it's obvious. With the 101st Airborne Division there in Iraq, rebuilding that area day by day. Thank you so much for just sharing these pictures, sharing the stories.

We salute you, Fred.

WELLMAN: Kyra, I sure appreciate it. It's been a wonderful experience up here. And I'm just real proud to be a Screaming Eagle. I worked very hard to join this division when I had the opportunity to choose, and we've got a great chain of command. General David Treus (ph) has given us all the support you can imagine, my brigade commander, my battalion commander. It's not often that a soldier like myself is given the exclusive opportunity to go out and seek out missions and pursue them as we have. So I'm a very fortunate officer, and I've got a great family at home supporting me, Crystal (ph) and my kids. I'm a very lucky man, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, we're all lucky to have you serving our country. Thanks, Fred.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com







Aired August 13, 2003 - 13:52   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: Within the commitment to track down Saddam Hussein, there's another mission U.S. soldiers have their sights on, rebuilding Iraq and making sure every child has the freedom and opportunity to be educated. Every day, since the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime, members of the U.S. army's 101st Airborne Division have been picking up their hammers and paintbrushes, building schools and medical clinics for Iraqi children and their families. Today, we bring you the exclusive picture from these dedicated Rangers.
Joining us by phone is Major Fred Wellman, who has been deeply involved with the civil affairs project from the very beginning.

Major, it's great to have you with us.

MAJ. FRED WELLMAN, 101ST AIRBORNE DIVISION: It's great to be here, Kyra. Thank you very much for having me.

PHILLIPS: As we start to look at the pictures, I want you to tell me about the civil affairs mission, how it's been going, the purpose behind it and just the bonding that's taken place between all of you and these kids.

WELLMAN: It's been a fascinating experience. I think if you has told me six months ago at this time I'd be sitting in Iraq, spending as much time as I have sitting with Iraqi people, with the farmers, the children, and getting as close as we have to all of them, I think would have told you you're full of it. But we discovered a surprise here, and we've been doing it here in my area for about three months now. We were approached by one of the local shaikhs in the village near our base when we first occupied it, and we developed a very close relation with a man named Dr. Mohammed (ph), who's the shaikh of the village.

And through him, we have been fortunate to meet -- we've actually visited 35 different villages, and we've worked with all those folk.

Right now, our unit is sponsoring and building 13 schools. We've built and finished one clinic and renovated another, and we're in the process repairing over 38 kilometers of roads in the area. So we've been fairly busy up here.

PHILLIPS: Fred, you know, on a daily basis. I even receive e- mails from -- even random e-mails from different soldiers, Marines, sailors, saying, hey, why aren't you covering what you're doing? And that's why I wanted to bring these picture to air and talk to you specifically, because you've been telling me for such a long time about these school. Do you think this is why you and your fellow soldiers have not been attacked because of what you're doing in the area?

WELLMAN: I think -- I firmly believe that what we're doing is building -- it's about building relationships. Our commander has said early on is what we need to do is build a bond with the people we're living with, and that's what we're doing. We're not approaching as an occupying army, we're approaching it as good neighbors, and the people around our base are our neighbors. By approaching with that kind of friendship, an attitude of a mutual relationship, because it is a mutual, supportive relationship, by being friendly with them, it prevents our base from being attacked. They have a mutual interest in our safety, as well as we have a mutual interest in theirs. I think we have a very quiet area. It's about relationships. I feel very gratified my chain of command has recognized that from the day we arrived.

PHILLIPS: Well, tell me about the first day when these schools were up and running, how did the kids react when they saw the desk, when they saw the chair? What did they say to you?

WELLMAN: It's fascinating, because most of the villages we're building the schools in have never had schools. For the most part, if a child wanted to go to school from these farming villages, they had to either go live with relatives in the city to get that opportunity.

So the shaikhs and the leaders of this village see this as the opportunity, the future for their village. And so it's fascinating. When we deliver -- once the school's built -- incidentally, we're using local Iraqi contractors as a method to inject finance into the local Iraqi economy. We don't build it ourselves, we have locals do it, and we pay for it, and it works out very well. So we show up with the desk, all the supplies, and they don't let us carry it. You'll see in the pictures very few soldiers carrying desks. I didn't send you one picture, a man wrestling a desk out of my hand, because the kids are doing it. You'll see pictures of 10-year-old children carrying these desks, and they're just so excited. It's an opportunity they never dreamed of.

I recently talked with Dr. Mohammed, as we sat on the steps of his clinic that we just opened tow days ago, and I said, I was telling him how the tent he rented was so nice and my wife and I are going to rent one when we get back. I love to throw a good party, and I said, you know what, you'll have to come. He said, I'll be there. I said, you will? He said, Fred, three months ago, I never would have beloved I'd be sitting on the steps of my clinic. I believe that in three months, I'll be sitting at your house, enjoying your party. I said, that's a good perspective. Anything's possible right now here in Iraq. But the children themselves -- go ahead, I'm sorry.

PHILLIPS: No, go ahead, go ahead.

WELLMAN: Well, the children in one village especially are trying to learn English because they can talk to me, because I speak bad English and English, and that's the only two languages that I speak, and They have gone to great lengths to learn English. And as we were leaving about two weeks ago, a little boy, probably about 8, ran up to my vehicle when I was getting strapped, and he said, Major Wellman, Major Wellman, I love you. And, you know, and I'm a big softy. I got four kids at home. And I just got out of that truck and gave that little boy a hug, because he -- it meant a lot. It meant a lot.

PHILLIPS: Well, you know, Fred, we hear about -- we just hear the criticism so much about how this war should have never happened, and, you know, all of us get so frustrated, hearing how soldiers are dying every day, but then we hear stories like this from you, and we realize that this mission is really having, I guess, some really wonderful experiences, for you and for the Iraqi people.

WELLMAN: Well I saw -- I heard a great chant the other day that the Marines like to use. I had to steal it from them. I'm a son of a former Marine. My father, Jerry (ph) Wellman, is a former Marine. And the Marines love to say that as Americans and Marines, we can be your best friends or your worst enemies. And I think most people realize that it's a better thing to be our best friends. And so the Americans will wrap their arms around you and do everything they can for you once we all recognize it's a mutually beneficial relationship, and I think that's what we have here.

PHILLIPS: Major Fred Wellman. You look at these picture, you listen to you, and it's obvious. With the 101st Airborne Division there in Iraq, rebuilding that area day by day. Thank you so much for just sharing these pictures, sharing the stories.

We salute you, Fred.

WELLMAN: Kyra, I sure appreciate it. It's been a wonderful experience up here. And I'm just real proud to be a Screaming Eagle. I worked very hard to join this division when I had the opportunity to choose, and we've got a great chain of command. General David Treus (ph) has given us all the support you can imagine, my brigade commander, my battalion commander. It's not often that a soldier like myself is given the exclusive opportunity to go out and seek out missions and pursue them as we have. So I'm a very fortunate officer, and I've got a great family at home supporting me, Crystal (ph) and my kids. I'm a very lucky man, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: Well, we're all lucky to have you serving our country. Thanks, Fred.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com